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Cresselia is Darkrai's wife?! Interesting. I'm happy that Dusknoir, Celebi, Grovyle and the Sableye will be there for some things. I'm guessing the shadowed figure is Cresselia?

Still not quite right. The shadowed figure was mentioned in the last chapter, but not by name. I originally intended to include a short scene in the last chapter featuring Wigglytuff, Chatot, Armaldo, Lucario, Mew, and Cresselia, but I ended up cutting it for later use.

You won't have to worry much longer, I intend to reveal the character in the next chapter. Also, I posted a bonus Christmas episode of The Pokemon Show in The Piplup and Chimchar Variety Hour, if you want to see it. (Hint: To enjoy it fully, you'll have to do a lot of singing in your head.)

I was rereading the first Dimensions of Darkness book and I noticed something in chapter 21 that I don't think anyone else has noticed..

Was Darkrai talking about Deoxys?

Eh, this isn't really an important spoiler, but I'll put it in a spoiler tag anyway, for those who want to wait.

Spoiler:- Darkrai's Return:

Deoxys was the one to find Darkrai. After Palkia attacked Darkrai's portal in the Dark Crater, Darkrai was warped into space and brought back to health by a motherly Pokemon who I shall not identify yet. And then, just as it seemed that Darkrai may be rebuilt as a noble being, Deoxys finds him and helps restore his memory.

Eh, this isn't really an important spoiler, but I'll put it in a spoiler tag anyway, for those who want to wait.

Spoiler:- Darkrai's Return:

Deoxys was the one to find Darkrai. After Palkia attacked Darkrai's portal in the Dark Crater, Darkrai was warped into space and brought back to health by a motherly Pokemon who I shall not identify yet. And then, just as it seemed that Darkrai may be rebuilt as a noble being, Deoxys finds him and helps restore his memory.

That stinks. He could have been a powerful ally; but, there always needs to be some main antagonist.

So sorry for not posting in forever! I'll try to review each chapter from now on!

I'll just review Ch. 5 for now.

Woah, Cresselia MARRIED Darkrai?!?! I've heard of the saying opposites attract, but in this case, opposites repel. I hope we see Cresselia or Darkrai, so one of them could explain what happened! Hmm, the mysterious figure is a black figure, and a girl right? Don't know.

How many chapters do you plan on having in this book, and how many books are left?

Keep up the great work, and don't forget to send me PMs when new chapters come out!

@ShadowXD001-You're sorry for not posting in forever? I haven't posted a chapter in almost three months! I'm the one who's sorry. With Christmas, Christmas recovery, and vacation, I got really lazy and wouldn't type more than a paragraph or two of the chapter at a time.

And now, without further ado, a chapter three months in the making! (Not that it's that spectacular.)

Chapter 6
Enter the War Zone

Gris Plains was not a pretty place. It wasn’t even a likable place. It was a miserable wasteland if there ever was one, stretching for miles and miles with nothing to see but gray dirt and half-buried skeletons. It had seen its fair share of battles in the long history of the war, it was seeing one now, and it would see more. The current battle was more one-sided than most as blasts of heat, cold, and electricity rained down upon the oncoming army.

General Typhlosion stood stoic before the onslaught, and despite the tremendous display of power, his troops kept fighting. He continued charging forward, batting aside all the enemies that were unlucky enough to stand in his path. He didn’t even stop as he saw his friend and lieutenant Pinsir fall before the charge of a Rhyhorn. He was sure he saw a splatter of blood, but he didn’t slow down. If anything, he continued on with twice the energy, smashing down a Hitmonlee and then stomping it into the ground. Finally, he found himself faced with the one who he sought.

“Raikou,” he growled. “We meet again.”

“Destiny, I believe you call it,” Raikou snarled. Sparks crackled along his cape and tail. “It has been some time since last we met on the field of battle.”

“Trust me when I say it shall be the last,” Typhlosion retorted, flames erupting violently from his neck.

Raikou scoffed. “That’s what you say every time.”

The two glared at each other for a long moment. The stare-down was suddenly broken as an orange figure appeared between them. “You!” Typhlosion gasped.

“Master Deoxys,” Raikou fell to his knees instantaneously. “What do you wish of me?”

“Gather the generals,” Deoxys said curtly. “You have a new target. Get the others and then head for the canyon-lands. Those are your orders.”

Raikou bowed once again. “Yes, Master Deoxys.” He dashed away so rapidly that it seemed he had vanished.

“What’s the idea?” Typhlosion snarled. “This battle is between me and that scum Raikou!”

“This is no battle,” Deoxys said. He turned his back and began to walk away. Typhlosion took the opportunity as any soldier worth their medals would.

Seconds later, he hit the ground, blood pooling from the corner of his mouth. A casual observer would have seen nothing. A seasoned soldier would have seen Deoxys twitch. Only a handful of the Pokemon world’s greatest strategic minds would have truly seen and understood what had happened as they saw Deoxys twist his head sideways to dodge the blow and unleash a Calm Mind-boosted Psyshock at point blank range, effectively shattering Typhlosion’s conscious mind. Deoxys smiled as he continued walking away. It was in this way that he prided himself over Darkrai. When Darkrai killed, he drew it out. He made it as long and painful for the victim as possible. Darkrai may have seen it as fun, but Deoxys saw it as a crucial weakness. He knew that this could be easily exploited by any Pokemon with a brain. This is why he opted for his own manner of killing. Perhaps the victim didn’t suffer, but they went down without a chance to make him regret their death. This was what made Deoxys an even greater threat than his partner. He smiled again at the thought. Darkrai had never understood the reasoning behind Deoxys’s apparent mercy. Someday, Deoxys thought, he’ll finally understand. And that moment of realization will be his last.

They were awakened early the next morning by distant rumbles of thunder. Dragonite was the first to rise, seeming mildly concerned. When Piplup and Chimchar emerged from the cave, they spotted their guide standing at the top of the cliff-face.

“Problems?” Piplup inquired. 88 and 89 stumbled out of the cave, still half-asleep. They blinked in surprise as the ground shook from another rumble of thunder.

“Nothing much,” Dragonite answered. He was staring off to the west, where the lightning seemed to be concentrated. Piplup and the others scrambled up the cliff-side to see what Dragonite was transfixed by. They saw a long barren wasteland stretching off into the distance. The ground near the horizon seemed to be shimmering, perhaps even moving. “The battle draws close,” Dragonite explained. “If we keep moving through the canyon, then we’ll stay clear. They won’t stray from Gris Plains.” He paused. “Besides, it’s only a minor battle. The winner here just gets a giant empty hellhole and nothing more. Not much of a prize, if you ask me.”

Dragonite turned away from the battle. “I told you, we’re heading to the forge of an old friend of mine. He may not be the friendliest ‘mon around, but he’s certainly better company than anyone else we’ve ran into so far.”

Chimchar looked to the sky and gulped. “Those storm clouds look pretty ominous. Are you sure we should be up here?”

“Don’t worry, we’re out of the lightning range,” Dragonite assured. “The bolts follow Raikou, one of the generals of Darkrai’s army. He’s probably leading the charge down on Gris Plains right now. Trust me, we’re safe.”

At that moment, there was a flash of light and the cliff-top exploded. Piplup felt the heat of the blast singeing his skin as he fell. He had been blinded by the flash, but he thought he could sense Chimchar tumbling near him. He heard a loud smashing noise, followed by Dragonite’s scream as the shards of stone stabbed into him and drove him towards the earth below. Then he hit the ground and the wind was knocked out of him. Although he couldn’t see and could barely focus through the pain, he heard chaos all around him. Enormous crashes filled the air as the cliff collapsed and thunder shook the earth. Above it all, there was a wild, untamed howl. It was the howl of a killer, one who wouldn’t hesitate to finish the job.

Piplup’s eyes opened just in time to see the unconscious bodies of Chimchar and 89 disappear beneath an avalanche of rubble. He could also make out Dragonite, who was lying on his side with a gash across his chest. He had little time to comprehend what was happening before he was suddenly hauled to his feet.

“Rise and shine, Sleeping Beauty.” It was 88. Somehow, he of all Pokemon had avoided major injury during the rock-fall. “Looks like we’re on our own.”

“How comforting,” Piplup grumbled. “But who’s our enemy?”

“That would be me.”

The two jumped in surprise as a four-legged shape descended from a ledge on the opposite side of the canyon. It was yellow and cat-like with a flowing purple cape and a pair of long fangs sticking over its bottom lip. “You…are you Raikou?” Piplup asked.

“How original,” 88 smirked. “Come on, Piplup, let’s do this.” He charged forward with Iron Head while Piplup attacked with Brick Break. Both were struck down by Thunderbolt before they reached their target. They lay, twitching spasmodically, as Raikou strode towards them.

The air was driven from Raikou’s lungs as Dragonite drove his shoulder hard into his stomach. The two rolled across the dirt, finally skidding to a stop along the wall. Raikou was the first to rise, but before he could strike at Dragonite, he was hit by Piplup’s Hydro Pump and 88’s Flash Cannon.

“You!” Raikou scowled at Dragonite as he rose to his feet again. “You’re the traitor. We heard all about you from Master Darkrai.” The air around him crackled with electricity, forcing Dragonite to his knees.

“We?” 88 gulped.

Raikou smiled. “That’s right. I’ve got some friends coming in to help me out. Once they’ve arrived, you’ll have no hope at all.”

“Then we’ll just have to finish this before they get here.” Raikou had no time to react before he was hit from beneath by the apparently-fallen Dragonite’s Hyper Beam. He reeled backwards as Dragonite rose to his feet and followed him with Fire Punch.

“Fool!” Raikou screamed, lashing out with Iron Tail. He caught Dragonite across the wound on his torso, knocking him flat on the ground. Piplup leapt forward, but was hit by Thunder Wave. 88 stood alone, trembling in fear.

“Um, truce?” 88 called weakly. Raikou stepped forward menacingly. 88 closed his eyes tightly shut in fear and fired off the most powerful Flash Cannon he could muster. It whizzed a couple feet over Raikou’s head and smashed into the cliff-side.

Raikou began to cackle uproariously. “You bumbling idiot! You missed!” As soon as the words were out of his mouth, he was buried beneath the avalanche of stones from the cliff. Piplup and Dragonite, who had just risen back to their feet, could only stare in amazement.

“That was awesome, 88!” Piplup applauded. “How’d you know that would work?”

“I didn’t,” 88 shrugged in embarrassment. “I didn’t miss on purpose.”

Piplup sighed. “I should have figured that.”

At that moment, snow began to fall from the sky. “Snow, not good,” Dragonite said. “Snow means that Articuno is near.”

“Sounds bad,” Piplup said. It was only then that he remembered his friends under the rock-fall. “Crud, Chimchar and 89!”

“Black snow?” Dragonite frowned. He stuck his tongue out, then winced as he tasted one of the flakes. “It’s soot. We’re not only facing Articuno, but Moltres as well. Run!”

Piplup and 88 still hesitated for a moment. Then, a simultaneous burst of ice and flame from the sky above changed their minds. “Okay, we’re running!” Piplup called. They took off through the canyon at a full sprint. The sight of two enormous birds, one sparkling and blue, the other flaming and orange, did nothing to slow them down.

Suddenly, Dragonite was above them, carrying Chimchar in one hand and 89 in the other. Both were still unconscious. “There’s a fork in the canyon ahead,” Dragonite explained, zigzagging to avoid bolts of energy. “You two go one way, I’ll go the other. We’ll meet up at the end once we’ve shaken off these guys.”

“Got it!” Piplup nodded. He turned to 88. “Can you pick up the pace a bit?”

“I can’t help it!” 88 panted. “My head weighs just as much as my body does. It makes it hard to run.”

Then, the fork was before them. Dragonite wheeled off to the left, leaving Piplup and 88 to go right. Articuno and Moltres wasted no time in catching up, with Articuno following Dragonite and Moltres taking the other two. Piplup looked up just in time to duck beneath a raging Flamethrower, and to see Dragonite disappear on the other side of the canyon wall.

Dragonite weaved left and right, dodging Ice Beam after Ice Beam from Articuno. He turned back just long enough to fire off a Hyper Beam, causing Articuno to veer sideways into a wall. Then it released another bolt of Ice Beam, this one going straight for Dragonite. He went into a dive, but not quickly enough.

Then the Ice Beam was engulfed in a blast of fire, causing Dragonite to spin in surprise. “Chimchar?”

“The one and only!” Chimchar beamed, clambering from beneath Dragonite’s arm to sit on his back. “Just keep flying, I’ll keep this guy off your tail.”

Dragonite nodded as 89 began to flail in his grip. “Hey! What’s going on here?” He craned his neck around just in time to see a bolt of ice fly by. “Er, never mind, I’ll just go back to sleep.”

“Get up here!” Chimchar called, launching another Flamethrower at Articuno. “I could use the help!”

“No thanks, I choose life!” 89 argued.

“Then I suggest you climb up and help him,” Dragonite hissed. “I could just drop you right now. Articuno would eat you for a mid-morning snack.”

89 gulped and scurried up to join Chimchar. “I’m helping, I’m helping!” He was abruptly struck by an Ice Beam, freezing him to Dragonite’s back.

Sighing, Chimchar hit him with Flamethrower, thawing him out. “Do I have to do everything around here? Geesh!”

“Less talking!” Dragonite grunted. “More blasting!”

Chimchar continued shooting off Flamethrowers at Articuno’s Ice Beams, with 89 lending his Thunderbolt to the fray. The attacks collided throughout the air around Dragonite, causing him to lurch in his flight. “Watch it! Or are you trying to make me drop out of the sky?”

“Stop it! Stop it!” 89 screamed hysterically. “CAN’T YOU SEE THIS SENSELESS FIGHTING IS TEARING US ALL APART?!?!?!?!”

The rain of attacks ceased as Chimchar and Articuno both stared at 89 in bewilderment and amusement. Dragonite mentally slapped his forehead, but didn’t waste any time in zipping away. “Thanks for the distraction!”

“Uh, you’re welcome?” 89 grinned.

“Don’t get too comfortable yet,” Chimchar warned. “He’s coming back!”

It was true; Articuno was back upon them already. Chimchar hit him in the chest with a Flamethrower, but he barely slowed down. A barrage of Ice Beams split the air around Dragonite. 89 shivered uncontrollably. “Well, things just got a little chillier!”

Dragonite sighed. “This is not going to be easy, but I think I’ve got a plan. Chimchar, cover me!”

“I’m on it!” Chimchar agreed, releasing a barrage of Flamethrowers. Fire met ice and the canyon shuddered from the explosions. Dragonite kept his focus through it all and arched into the air, high above Articuno. He saw flashes of light on the horizon, where the battle at Gris Plains still raged, but he kept flying up.

“Are you insane?” 89 wailed. “You’re going to get us killed!”

“He might be right!” Chimchar agreed, yelling so that he could be heard over the roar of the wind. “We’re flying into arctic-temperature airspace! This is Articuno’s territory! He’ll kill us in no time flat!”

There was an enormous screech as Articuno reappeared behind them. His entire body shone and sparkled and a wave of intense cold radiated outward. Chimchar and 89 both huddled close together while Dragonite could only cringe. “Come on, a little closer…”

Articuno swooped further in and the cold grew even worse. An Ice Beam formed on his beak, but it was extinguished by a Flamethrower. “Hurry up, Dragonite!” Chimchar wheezed. “I can’t keep my flame going when it’s this cold!”

“Just a little closer…” Dragonite continued to himself.

Articuno let loose a murderous squawk and charged.

Dragonite countered with a roar of his own. “NOW!”

All at once, the air filled with ice, and Dragonite dove.

*****

KA-BLAAM!

Piplup gulped as a blast of fire whistled over his head. He could hear the squawks of Moltres high above him as he weaved left and right. “How’re you doing back there?” he called.

“I’m having a zip-a-dee-doo-dah-day, thank you very much!” 88 screamed. “Never mind the giant flaming turkey chasing me!” A second later, he found his tail singed by a Flamethrower. “YOW!”

“Maybe you should apologize for the turkey comment!” Piplup suggested. He looked ahead and was startled to see that the canyon was growing narrower. “And you’d better hurry! We’re running out of space to maneuver!”

88 looked skyward at the enormous wingspan of Moltres above him. “Okay, okay, I’m sorry! You’re not a flaming turkey! You’re much more elegant, like a dove or a swan or a goose or something!” Another Flamethrower exploded on top of him and he was thrown through the air, landing in front of Piplup. “Ouch again!”

“For the sake of Arceus, let’s just end this!” Piplup growled. He immediately leapt sideways against the gray canyon wall. He rebounded off and hit the other wall and continued to flip back and forth. Before long, he had scaled all the way to be level with Moltres. “Come and get it, you overgrown Pidgey!” His plan apparently worked, as Moltres cloaked itself in blue energy and charged. He released an Aura Sphere, but it was no match for Sky Attack and Moltres slammed full on into Piplup.

“What in the heck are you doing?!” 88 yelled.

Moltres suddenly plunged into a downward spiral as Piplup grabbed onto his neck. “I have no idea!” Piplup replied. “But you might want to move!”

The two spun downwards out of control, leaving a glowing trail of sparks from Moltres’s wings behind them. For a split second, Piplup could make out Dragonite and Articuno in the sky over the neighboring canyon, but the sudden onslaught of motion-sickness stole his attention. Piplup closed his eyes as the ground rushed closer and closer.

“Just a little bit longer,” he said to himself. “Just a little bit longer…”

*****

CRA-KA-KOOM!

Enormous chunks of ice rained down around Dragonite as he dove. Chimchar and 89 clung to his back for dear life as the air rushed by them. Dragonite twisted as he fell, grabbing his passengers in his hands and holding them upwards.

“What are you doing?” Chimchar cried over the wind.

“That was a Sheer Cold attack,” Dragonite explained. “It’s incredibly powerful, but it takes a lot of energy. Since we managed to get out of the way, he’s in a vulnerable position.”

“So it’s time to attack?” 89 guessed.

“Precisely!” Dragonite said. Above them, the air began to clear of icy particles and the bedraggled figure of Articuno appeared from the snow cloud. “We’ve got him right where we want him! Now attack!”

Chimchar and 89 didn’t need telling twice. They fired off Flamethrower and Ancientpower, respectively, joined a moment later by Dragonite’s Hyper Beam. The three attacks weaved together on the path to their target before striking Articuno with a fiery explosion. The shockwave sent Articuno reeling, but it also caught Dragonite. He spiraled backwards, clutching Chimchar and 89 to his chest. The ground spun up to meet them and Chimchar and 89 screamed.

“Brace for impact!” Dragonite ordered. Still holding the others tight against his chest, he managed one more spin so that he would hit on his back, with the other two safely on top. He closed his eyes.

The impact jarred his body and he rolled sideways, Chimchar and 89 slipping from his grasp. They bounced and rolled across the rocky floor of the canyon, slamming into walls and crashing into each other. Finally, they skidded to a stop before a small cavern, leaving a trail of blood behind them. Far behind them, there was an enormous crash as Articuno slammed into the canyon wall, bringing down an avalanche of boulders with him. However, none of them were awake to hear it. Eventually, the rocks settled and the canyon grew still.

Deathly still.

*****

“KRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!”

Moltres let out an enormous screech and flapped his wings wildly, but he was unable to shake the small blue parasite clinging to his neck. Sparks and embers flew from his wings and tail, streaking the dark sky with twinkling lights.

“It’s gonna hurt!” 88 added, rather unhelpfully. He quickly launched off a Flash Cannon, which slammed into Moltres with a great explosion. He veered off course, heading straight for the wall.

“Thanks for the help!” Piplup snapped, firing off a Hydro Pump to bounce Moltres back from the wall. The two continued their downward spiral until, finally…

CRASH!

The two slammed into the ground, sending a cloud of dust into the air around them. Piplup managed to push himself away from Moltres before hitting the ground, landing gracefully on his feet. 88 faced him from the other side of the canyon, with Moltres lying between them. “I suppose that could have gone worse,” 88 shrugged.

“It’s not over yet,” Piplup said. As he spoke, Moltres shuddered and slowly rolled onto his stomach, then rose into a standing position. He spread his wings wide, brushing both sides of the canyon. He let loose an enormous squawk, shaking the ground with his furious roar.

“Let’s do this thing!” 88 whooped. He launched his Ancientpower simultaneously with Piplup’s Hydro Pump. As the attacks struck Moltres, he flapped his wings violently, unleashing his Heat Wave within the canyon. Blasts of fire, water, and rock shot in all directions, striking all three Pokemon and sending them reeling. All three managed to regain their footing and prepared to attack again.

Suddenly, a gust of arctic air rushed through the canyon. Piplup looked up and gasped at the sight. “Get down!” he screamed. 88 immediately obliged, tunneling into the ground. Piplup threw himself down, covering his head. Moltres looked around in confusion before finally seeing what had alarmed his opponents. He tried to use his wings to shield himself, but it was already too late.

The unconscious body of Articuno slammed into the cliff-side, dislodging a dozen or more boulders. The avalanche cascaded into the canyon, instantly overwhelming Moltres and Piplup. For a few long moments, the rocks continued to pour down, obscuring all from view. Finally, the rumbling stopped and the shifting of the boulders ceased. Nothing stirred in the canyon.

With a gasp, Piplup pulled himself from the rubble. He coughed violently, exhaling clouds of dust from his lung. “88?” he sputtered. “88? Are you alright over there?”

For a moment, there was silence, but then there was a cough and a sound of shifting rubble. “I’m fine!” 88’s voice called. “What about you? You sound hurt.”

“Well, I’m not dead,” Piplup answered. He groaned and rose slowly to his feet. He abruptly fell back down as a shadowy figure rose before him.

The figure disappeared into the shadows and there was a sudden cry of pain from the other side of the rubble mound. Piplup wheeled around, desperately trying to catch a glimpse of his assailant. “88? Speak to me! Are you okay?”

There was no response.

Suddenly, the shadow was back, looming above Piplup. “He’s not going to be answering you anytime soon.”

“Y-you…” Piplup stuttered. “You…88…you-“

“Yes,” the shadow nodded. His single blue eye stared deep into Piplup’s own, as if looking into his soul. “And you’re next.”

Piplup gasped as the figure materialized in full before him. “No!” he whispered. “Not you! Not now!”

“Yes me,” Darkrai smirked. “And yes now.”

He drew back his hand, claws hungry for blood.

Hope you all enjoy it! I'm incredibly sorry, INCREDIBLY sorry for the enormous break. I've set a deadline for when I'm going to have this finished by, and I now plan to get one or two chapters up every week from now to a certain date in July. Also, in case the readers of The Piplup and Chimchar Variety Hour didn't figure it out, the Pokemon Show Christmas Carol has been postponed. When I last left it off, it was as long as the last three chapters of this fic put together, and I was barely halfway done. So, yeah, it might be done by next Christmas. Maybe.

OMG I just spent the whole day reading all three books (I literally spent 14 hours reading all this) and the whole series is amazing! I would like to know, however, where the chimchar distraction was in book 2, as i may have missed it. Raikou, Articuno, Moltres? how many more legendary pokemon are going rouge?

FC: 2277-6776-7710
Ground, , , Diggersby

Looking for Floette (Orange and White) Safaris. Also looking for specific Safaris here.

If you would like a bred or Gen IV-V Event Pokémon in return for these safaris, let me know and I'll see what I can do about your request.

Anyway, amazing chapter! I was a little bit confused at the beginning, but I got it. So Articuno & Moltres dead or something? Also, I'm guessing Zapdos will be coming soon. OMG, is 88 really dead?!?!? I hope he's just unconscious...... So that mysterious figure was really Darkrai, or is that something else?

Actually, this is quite good... but at what point did you mercilessly stuff those legandaries in the Beyond? and why? (Why at least, is Beyond me). However, well written chase scenes are always good, and i definately commend you for that.

Actually, this is quite good... but at what point did you mercilessly stuff those legandaries in the Beyond? and why? (Why at least, is Beyond me). However, well written chase scenes are always good, and i definately commend you for that.

Don't worry, we've already seen most of the Legendaries in the Beyond. Darkrai and Deoxys are the two most major ones, and Raikou, Articuno, and Moltres's roles will be minimal from now on. There will only be two more Legendaries involved in the story: One from Johto, and one from Unova. Neither will be seen for quite a while, though.

On the other hand, there will be two new characters introduced in the next chapter. One a member of Darkrai's army, the other an agent from another world entirely.